Nottingham’s Initiatives for a Greener City

Nottingham’s Initiatives “Nottingham City Transport can be named as one of the best bus companies in the UK having won the UK Bus Operator of the Year five times” Alex Lovesey In 2017, Nottingham City Council announced they would invest more money in their initiatives to reduce air pollution, clear up roads and support the environment. This includes more electric buses, retrofitting old buses to run on biogas, expanding the tram network, switching the taxis and hiring private drivers for electric vehicles. Nottingham City Transport (NCT) can be named as one of the best bus companies in the UK, having been the only one to win the UK Bus Operator of the Year five times. Their dedication to reducing the environmental impact of their buses isn’t just hot air. This year, they have rolled out an additional 63 biogas double-decker buses, increasing their fleet to 120, the largest number of biogas double-deckers in the world. Nottingham is well on its way to becoming an ultra-low emission city, as they have invested millions of pounds into their public transport system. Making it not only better for the environment but more

reliable too. This means fewer people will need to drive around Nottingham, freeing up the roads and reducing air pollution. However, there is still more to do as there are hundreds of Nottingham buses which aren’t using biogas or electricity to fuel themselves. When these services aren’t running, there is an increased dependency on taxis and rideshares, both of which have a larger contribution to air pollution, compared to buses and trams, as a large proportion don’t run on electricity or cleaner fuels. Another public transport project is the proposed 6km extension of the tram network into Kimberley and Giltbrook. This would also mean an expansion of the park and ride at Phoenix Park, and the creation of a new one on Gin Close Way. These plans would further reduce congestion in the city centre as well as having a substantial environmental benefit as the tram network runs on electricity and therefore doesn’t pollute the atmosphere. Some of these can be seen on the Pink 28 and Orange 36 lines. Biogas is better than traditional petrol as it is a theoretically unlimited fuel supply, and in the case of NCT it is produced from farm food and farm waste. Since they use waste products instead of planting crops for producing biofuel, they use less land and fewer resources, which is better for the environment. Nottingham’s dream of an electric fleet may have become a reality with their 58 electric buses – but, there is still room for improvement. There are plans to make all licensed vehicles in Nottingham run on electricity by 2030. Notably, there is a focus on making taxis and private hire vehicles run on electricity. One way this has been facilitated, is by increasing the infrastructure needed for electric cars. There are now 100 charge points around Nottingham city centre, the largest being the 24 available at the Victoria centre. “There are plans to make all licensed vehicles in Nottingham run on electricity by 2030” for a Greener City Graphic & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee